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Los Medanos District Energy Facility

Docket Number:

The California Energy Commission approved this project's Application for Certification on August 17, 1999. The Commission monitors the power plant's construction, operation and eventual decommissioning through a compliance proceeding.

12/29/1999 - Plant Name Change from "Pittsburg District Energy Facility" to "Los Medanos District Energy Facility."

7/9/2001 - Power plant on line and producing power.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT

On June 15, 1998, the Pittsburg District Energy Facility, Limited Liability Company (LLC), filed an Application for Certification (AFC) with the California Energy to construct and operate the Pittsburg District Energy Facility (PDEF -- Now called the Los Medanos Power Plant). The PDEF will be providing process steam to USS-Posco Industries. Electrical energy produced from the proposed power plant will be sold to California's regional power pool and other electricity consumers. The PDEF electric generating plant and related facilities, such as the electric transmission line, natural gas pipeline and water lines are under the Energy Commission's jurisdiction. The power plant certification process examines engineering and environmental aspects of power plant proposals, and contains requirements similar to those contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The PDEF is proposed to be located on a 12-acre site on East 3rd Street, west of the intersection of East 3rd and Columbia in the City of Pittsburg, in eastern Contra Costa County. The site is on the northwest corner of property owned by USS-Posco Industries.

The applicant has proposed a combined cycle combustion turbine generator (CTG) design with a nominal capacity of 555 megawatts (MW). The design would consist of two trains of "F" class CTG machines with either one or two steam turbine generators. Natural gas is burned in the combustion turbine generators, which converts the thermal energy into mechanical energy required to drive the compressor and electric generator. The combustion turbine trains will include exhaust stacks and step-up transformers, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) units, steam turbine generator units and their transformers, and water treatment and cooling towers. A 115 kilovolt (kV) high voltage switchyard will be located on the west side of the project site. Reclaimed water for turbine cooling will be supplied from the Delta Diablo Wastewater Treatment Facility located in the City of Antioch. Estimated cost of the project are between $200 & $300 million.

In support of the City of Pittsburg's effort to reroute existing marine terminal truck traffic as well as provide improved access to the project site, the PDEF project has sponsored and will construct a new Truck Bypass Road which will be approximately.75 mile long. It will connect East 14th Street, near the existing intersection of Columbia Street and East 14th, to Harbor Street, near the existing intersection of East Santa Fe Avenue and Harbor.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the combustion process will be reduced to 2.5 parts-per-million by volume dry (ppmvd), or less, at 15 percent oxygen by utilizing dry low NOx combustion technology and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system . The SCR system will use aqueous ammonia for the reduction process.

Linear electric facilities associated with the project include: a new 2.5 mile double circuit 115 kV overhead/underground electric transmission line to connect the project to Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) existing Pittsburg Power Plant Switchyard; and a new 1.2 mile single circuit 115 kV line to connect the PDEF with the USS-Posco Industries plant. Sections of these new lines will parallel existing 115 kV lines.

Pipeline facilities associated with the project include: a potable water supply line approximately 500 feet long; a gas pipeline approximately 3.6 miles long; a sewer line approximately 500 feet long; and a reclaimed water line approximately 2 miles long. All of the pipeline facilities will be buried underground. The engineering and environmental details of the proposed project are contained in the AFC.

Energy Commission Facility Certification Process

The California Energy Commission is the lead agency (for licensing thermal power plants 50 megawatts and larger) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has a certified regulatory program under CEQA.
Under its certified program, the Energy Commission is exempt from having to prepare an environmental impact report.
Its certified program, however, does require environmental analysis of the project, including an analysis of alternatives and mitigation measures to minimize any significant adverse effect the project may have on the environment.